setup for handicap

[CharliesTheMan]

Well I got someone else involoved in the hobby today. I've been building a Rustler for my stepdad and he's very proud of it. So today when he went to visit his cousin who's very sick today, he took the Rustly to show it to him. Well the guy loved it and took right to it. He has a disease that doctors can't diagnose and he's losing his muscle control and suffering nerve and speech damage, and as a result getting weaker and weak. He absolutely loved the RC, and I would have left one of my Rustys with him except that I only had my good charger and I couldn't leave it. So I came home and bought him his own Rustler on ebay. It will be great for his hand eye coordination and give him a reason to leave the house again.

I'm trying to think of all the mods I can make to it to make it easy for someone with nerve damage to operate it. I'm going to build some vel-cro body mounts so he doesn't have to worry with body pins. Maybe color code the plugs so it's easy for him to line them up the right way.

Can you guys think of some other stuff that I could do to it to make it easy for someone with nerve damage and poor motor skills be able to use it easier? He's great with the transmitter, but small thing like wires and body pins are hard for him because he doesn't have good use of his fingertips.

Anny ideas??

 

[BOUTCH]

Thats very nice of you Charlie, sorry can't think of nothing to help you right now.:bow:

 

[Mattyfats420]

its nitro or electric?

 

[itsalifeworthliving]

hey charles. 2 words....YOUR AWSOME.. i would think that a stick controler would be easer to use then a pistol.. i wish there was something i could do to help yu out..sounds like like your really seting him up nice.. does he need a shell painted?.. i'll pay for shipping.. anything at all.. send me a pm

 

[HeartBreak]

I applaud you for helping out a friend in need. That's awesome of ya.

For the motor skills part, something on the order of needle-nose pliers would probably help out. You could probably find some tools that can help him grip the wires, like a pair of surgical clamps. Perhaps even custom create some tools that would allow him to work on the cars.

As for the transmitter, years and years ago, when I first started racing, there was a guy that custom-modded his transmitter to use a sewing machine pedal and a larger wheel. The setup was cumbersome for him to transport around, but it enabled him to race with everyone else.

The key is to observe how he gets along with it, and try to figure ways that would help him work on it (for example, tools with large handles) that make it easier, and at the same time, don't patronize him (if that makes sense).

 

[marauder]

Easy to disconnect battery connectors on the charger and the pack would be great.

Sounds like everything else has been said. Hats off to you for doing a good deed and giving someone something to look forward to. Karma will come back even though the feeling of helping others is worth it ten fold.

The best thing would be to offer advice when he needs it, or help repairs if something breaks.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Sorry I should have included it, it is electric. He was getting along pretty good with the controller because he was able to squeeze it, it's mainly grabbing small stuff and seeing small things that give him trouble. I'm going to start modding a spare traxxas controller to have a bigger wheel. He's ok now but he has been going downhill pretty quick, and the doctors are saying it will only get worse, so that way when he needs a bigger wheel I'll have it ready. He's got a positive outlook and he's trying to move around as much as he can to keep the muscles from breaking down, but now even swallowing the pills he needs for treatment is getting very dangerous and he's had a few close calls with choking and breathing. Can you think of any plugs that would be easier to line up and use than the tamaya? The tamaya has a good idea for people that can see well, but the one curve to tell the sides apart can be hard to see for someone in his condition. I think I may paint one side prong red and one prong black, and then do the same on all the batteries so he can just match them up.

 

[rckid91]

thats great man sounds like you are really hooking him up wat about a charger though the 15 min chargers have really small dials and also dont the tamiya plugs have to clip together that may be a problem if he is losing his fine muscle skills

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I've already got a charger for him and I just ordered him a pair of venom 3300 mah nimh batteries. I would really like to replace the tamaya plug with something better, but since that's all I've used in the one week that I've had my electrics, I don't know what to replace them with that will work better than what it's got. I wouldn't want to replace them with something that will be worse. How easy are the deans to plug and unplug? How about the new traxxas high current plugs?

Thanks for all the great comments and support guys.

 

[ImBroken]

I've already got a charger for him and I just ordered him a pair of venom 3300 mah nimh batteries. I would really like to replace the tamaya plug with something better, but since that's all I've used in the one week that I've had my electrics, I don't know what to replace them with that will work better than what it's got. I wouldn't want to replace them with something that will be worse. How easy are the deans to plug and unplug? How about the new traxxas high current plugs?

Thanks for all the great comments and support guys.

The Deans Ultra plugs can only fit together one way which might help him out.
That's a great thing your doin bud, my hats off to ya..

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Yea I was thinking the deans ultra would be good because they go one way and the prongs are easy to tell apart. I've got some deans on order so that will be good. Do the deans have any kind of clip or catch or do they just plug in snugly?

 

[ImBroken]

Yea I was thinking the deans ultra would be good because they go one way and the prongs are easy to tell apart. I've got some deans on order so that will be good. Do the deans have any kind of clip or catch or do they just plug in snugly?

Nope, they plug together snugly... They wont come apart on their own..

 

[CharliesTheMan]

alright that sounds perfect. Thanks a lot for all the help guys. The support always helps as well, and it means a lot to me to see that so many people care.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Your a good man Charles.

 

[Rolex]

You're quite a guy. I'm sure you put a VERY bright spot in his rather dim looking future. Who knows, maybe this is what he'll need to help him get through it.
For starters, you might also want to gear it down so he can get used to handling it before he gets it up to speed.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Well today he was running the stock Rusty basically out of the box and he was doing real good with it. I let him have the T4 for about 2 minutes but it was too much car for him for now. oh by the way, the T4 got it's first real run time today, crazy power for out of the box. I was drifting it on the concrete driveway with the racing treads on the back. I was QUITE impressed to say the least considering associated people frown on the stock motor, this thing is gonna be sick with the brushless setup

Back to the thread, Once I saw the smile on his face and the way his interest peaked when I handed him the transmitter, I knew I would be putting together a rig for him. Sometimes all it takes is something like that for someone to have a will to get out of bed and keep fighting each day. If the worst case scenario happens, I want him to enjoy the hell out of whatever he has left with his life.

 

[Rolex]

No matter what shape someone is in, they need something to look forward to, and something they can enjoy. If they give up on tomorrow's dream, they give up on life. I wish him the best. He has plenty of bright tomorrows ahead.
You've given him something to dream about and you've given him a bright tomorrow to look forward to.

 

[Brushlessboy]

Velcro to hold the body sounds hard Charlie. Check out the rear pin on the Associated GT8 or the Thunder Tiger MTA4 (same rig). They are easy to fit to the body, and use original posts. Very easy to use. Also for battery plugs the Traxxas connectors I would think would be easiest to connect/dissconnect. Deans and Tamiya connectors would be too hard to pull apart once he gets a little weaker.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

ok I was thinking the traxxas might work good but I haven't used them in person, just read about them. Thank you guys soooo much for all of the help. It really means a lot to me and it will mean even more to Shelton when he opens his box and sees his beautiful rig. He's got a brand new Honda Goldwing trike. He traded in his regular motorcycle in February for the trike hoping he could ride it, but he got so weak he's never even been able to ride it. Anyway, itsalifeworthliving has donated his time and the materials and is painting him a lid, maybe to match his new canary yellow motorcycle. Thank you once again, words don't express the gratitude I feel for all the kind words and help that you guys have put into this already. This strictly reinforces the way I think of all the wonderful members on this site, which is why this is the only forum I stick to, even when there are other forums specifically for the cars I have. To all the people who think the world is full of evil, one trip to this site would show them that there are still many, many good hearted people willing to watch out for one another. If I can ever help you guys out with anything, please let me know!

 

[nitrogator]

charles my hat goes of to you...there are not many guys left in the world like you.i only hope i would have freinds like you when i need them,but in the past when I've needed my good freinds they were not there for me.anything i can help with just let me know.